Don’t tell me that when you look at my photograph, you see yourself.
I am not you.
I am not the one who has held power in his hands for years.
I am not the one who signs decisions that change people’s lives.
I am not the one who controls the institutions, the budgets, and the fate of this country.
You are.
So don’t you dare tell me that my troubles are the same as yours.
You are not the victim of my troubles.
You are their author.
You are responsible for the emigration of thousands of young people who no longer saw a future in Albania.
You are the author of the injustices that force people to leave their country.
You are the author of the arrogance of a government that no longer listens to anyone but itself.
When you say you fear those who might harm Albania, you forget one thing:
There is no abyss deeper than the theft of a vote.
There is no abyss deeper than the theft of property.
There is no abyss deeper than the destruction of dignity.
There is no abyss deeper than the theft of an entire generation’s future.
Thousands of people do not fill the squares because they are manipulated by an algorithm.
They do not protest because influencers tell them to.
They don’t get angry because the opposition dictates to them.
They come out because they live reality every day.
Because they pay the bills.
Because they are looking for work.
Because they are waiting in hospitals.
Because they see the children leaving.
Because they feel like strangers in their own country.
And when you try to present them as a used crowd, you’re not understanding them.
You are despising them.
My picture on your wall makes me dirty.
Don’t use it to wash away your responsibilities.
Don’t use it to hide your failures.
Don’t use it to build your story as a savior.
I am not you.
And if I’m in the square, I’m not there because someone tricked me.
I’m here because I know very well who brought me here.
